Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium

Louis-Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium, was the eldest child and heir-apparent of King Leopold I of the Belgians and his second wife, Princess Louise of Orléans.

The blue sarrau work blouse

Ordinary working-class and agricultural men commonly wore a sarrau, a loose, knee-length blue blouse made of linen or hemp, often over other garments. It served as a protective outer layer, sometimes worn with a black cotton cap and a red scarf with white polka dots.

Women's festive and daily dress

Women typically wore a solid-colored bodice, a long skirt made of thick cotton, and a white cotton petticoat with lace. For feast days and Sundays, they enhanced this ensemble with a black silk apron and black or brown buttoned boots.

Festivities rewarded with small coins

Lacemakers celebrated Saint Anne’s Day with singing, dancing, and picnics, often earning a small reward of five centimes from their teachers for the occasion.

Lacemakers sang rhythmic work songs

Flemish lacemakers in the mid-19th century sang rhythmic work songs called tellingen to coordinate their stitches, which also functioned as social and storytelling tools.

Tow barges for reliable canal travel

Before the railway, tow barges drawn by horses were a primary, reliable, and punctual way to travel between towns along waterways. They moved at a slow speed of 3 to 4 km per hour, but maintained a strict schedule that did not wait for latecomers.

Steam trains replaced longer road journeys

By 1838, steam trains revolutionized travel, covering distances in minutes that previously took hours of travel on foot or by horse-drawn coach. A journey from Antwerp to Brussels took about 2.5 hours by train, while the same distance was considered an 8-hour journey by older methods.

Access to household water via wells

Water for households was typically drawn from private wells on farms or communal wells found within the villages.

Lighting homes with oil and water carafes

Homes were often illuminated by oil lamps (lamponnette) or candles placed in glass lanterns, while on dark days, workers used a spherical water carafe to concentrate candlelight.

A Simple Diet of Potatoes and Rye

Ordinary workers relied on a simple diet primarily consisting of potatoes and rye bread, with meat, butter, and fish being rare luxuries. During times of crisis, families struggled to afford even these basics, sometimes spending three-quarters of their income just on food.

Cheap Mussels as a Staple Food

In poor neighborhoods, raw mussels were an exceptionally cheap source of protein, costing only two and a half centimes for a hundred. Some families, like those in the Blandijnberg area, relied on this affordable food and deep-pumped well water to survive.

Typical daily wages for workers

Between 1830 and 1850, a textile worker typically earned about 1.5 francs per day, while their spouse often earned half that amount.

Cost of a pair of shoes

Shoes were expensive items that could cost a dagloner the equivalent of five days of hard work.

Falling wages and high costs

Wages dropped sharply; for example, a weaver's daily wage in a Ghent cotton factory fell from 2 francs in 1830 to just 62 centimes by 1835. A pair of shoes could cost a day laborer the equivalent of 5 days' earnings.

Children at work and unusual trade

Children as young as 10 or 11 worked in weeding gangs or textile factories to supplement meager family incomes. Verviers textile workers often lived in cramped conditions, where families sold their urine to collectors to be used for degreasing wool.